The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-168313, filed on Jun. 5, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a technique capable of displaying motion of characters in video games. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a game apparatus, a method for displaying motion of characters in connection with bodily shapes of these characters in video games, and further, directed to a computer readable recording medium for recording thereon a computer program used to display motion of these characters.
2. Description of the Related Art
In fighting games and the like, a plurality of techniques are prepared in order that an own character operated by a game player attacks an enemy character. For instance, such a technique is prepared that a hand and a foot of an own character hits a specific portion (attacking target position) of an enemy character, e.g., a chest of this enemy character. When such a technique is designated by receiving an operation input of a game player, the own character is operated in accordance with predetermined motion in order to give an attack to the attacking target position of the enemy character. There is no change in the motion of the own character unless the relative positional relationship between the enemy character and the own character is continuously changed. However, there are many possibilities that the relative positional relationship between the enemy character and the own character is not always constant.
As a consequence, the technique capable of changing the motion of the own character in response to the relative positional relationship between the enemy character and the own character is disclosed in, for example, PCT WO 97/46295 publication. This publication describes such a technique that when there is a height difference between two characters, a strike made from one character located at a lower position may be transferred toward a higher direction, while this height difference is corrected.
As is known from wrestling games among fighting games, there is such a game that while displaying characters which simulate actual wrestlers, these characters functioning as actual wrestlers may fight with each other. In such a wrestling game, realistic fighting scenes can be represented by making the sizes of the character models coincident with the physique of the actual wrestlers. However, in such a case that the sizes of the respective characters are different from each other, there are differences in the relative positional relationships between the attacking characters and the attacked characters, depending upon the fighting counter parties. The above-described WO 97/46295 publication does not consider the sizes, or dimensions of the characters. Under such a circumstance, such a novel technique is desired by which the respective characters may be moved in motion designed by considering bodily shapes of the individual characters.
The present invention has therefore an object to provide a technique capable of moving characters in natural motion which is established by considering bodily shapes of the respective characters.
A method for displaying motion of a first character in a virtual space, according to a first aspect of the present invention, is featured by such a display method comprising the steps of: determining motion in order that a predetermined portion of the first character is moved toward a predetermined portion of a standard mode model in response to an operation input made by a player, while the standard mode model is made in correspondence with a second character and the standard mode model is constituted by portions having a correspondence relationship with the respective portions of the second character; acquiring a positional relationship between a preselected portion of the standard mode model, which is a target of the determined motion, and a portion of the second character corresponding to the preselected portion of the standard mode model; correcting the determined motion by employing the acquired positional relation; and also displaying on a screen, the first character which is moved in accordance with the corrected motion.
It should be noted that while the above-described motion is corrected, a position of a predetermined portion of the first character may be gradually corrected until a correction amount of the position of the predetermined portion of the first character becomes such an amount defined in response to the acquired positional relationship.
A method for displaying motion of a first character in a virtual space, according to a second aspect of the present invention, is featured by such a display method comprising the steps of: determining motion in order that a predetermined portion of a first standard mode model (e.g., base skeleton model in one embodiment) is made in contact with a predetermined portion of a second standard mode model in response to an operation input made by a player, while the first standard mode model is defined in correspondence with the first character and also has the same attitude as that of the first character; and the second standard mode model is defined in correspondence with the character and also has the same attitude as that of a second character; acquiring a relative positional relationship between the predetermined portion of the second standard mode model and a predetermined portion corresponding thereto in the second character; correcting the determined motion by using the acquired relative positional relationship; and also displaying a scene where motion is carried out by causing the first character to execute the corrected motion in order that a preselected portion of the first character, which corresponds to the predetermined portion of the first standard mode model, is made in contact with a preselected portion of the second character, which corresponds to the predetermined portion of the second standard mode model.
As previously explained while both the first standard mode model corresponding to the first character equal to the own character, and also the second standard mode model corresponding to the second character equal to the enemy character are prepared, the motion between the first and second standard mode models is determined. This motion between the first and second standard mode models is corrected by employing the relative positional relationship between the predetermined portion of the second standard model and the preselected portion corresponding thereto in said second character, which indicates the physique difference between the second character and the second standard mode model. As a result, the first character equal to the second character can apply a proper attack to the second character. In other words, such motion is carried out in order that the predetermined portion of the first character is made in contact with the predetermined portion of the second character.
It should also be noted that both the first standard mode model and the second standard mode model are equal to a first standard-sized skeleton model and a second standard-sized skeleton model; the predetermined portion of the second standard mode model is equal to such a position obtained by internally dividing a preselected bone in the second skeleton model by a predetermined ratio; and the predetermined portion of the second character, which corresponds to the predetermined portion of the second standard mode model, is equal to such a position obtained by internally dividing a bone in the second character, which is identical to the predetermined bone of the second skeleton model by the same predetermined ratio as that of the second skeleton model. As a consequence, for instance, a predetermined portion of another character which is attacked is located at the same position as the body in the second standard mode model.
Also, the correction of the determined motion is carried out by executing an inverse kinematics process operation in such a manner that the position of the predetermined portion of the first standard mode model is changed based upon the acquired relative positional relationship, and the predetermined portion of the first character is arranged to the changed position. Since the inverse kinematics process operation is carried out, the information such as the angle of the bone in the skeleton model can be simply calculated.
Also, the correction of the determined motion is carried out by executing an inverse kinematics process operation in such a manner that the position of the predetermined portion of the first standard mode model is corrected every interpolation frame based upon the acquired relative positional relationship by an interpolation ratio of the interpolation frame, and the predetermined portion of the first character is arranged to the corrected position. This inverse kinematics process operation may indicate such a process operation in the case that the specific motion is corrected in the plural frames.
Furthermore, motion data used to make the predetermined portion of the first standard mode model in contact with the predetermined portion of the second standard mode model are previously prepared in correspondence with each of the motion; and when the motion is determined, the motion data corresponding thereto is acquired. The motion data by the standard mode model may be used in the various characters.
A professional wrestling game processing method for controlling motion of wrestlers, according to a third aspect of the present invention, is featured by such a game processing method comprising the steps of: displaying such a motion that a first wrestler grasps a predetermined portion of a second wrestler, while judging a shift amount between a reach point of a position of a hand owned by the first wrestler in the grasping motion and the predetermined portion of the second wrestler in response to data indicative of physique which is previously defined in correspondence with the second wrestler; correcting the position of the hand owned by the first wrestler in the grasping motion in response to the judged shift amount; and displaying such a grasping operation that the first wrestler grasps the predetermined portion of the second wrestler based upon the corrected motion.
The methods, according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, may be formed in the form of a computer program capable of executing this method by a computer. In this case, the above-described modification with respect to the second aspect may be similarly applied to this computer program. The program, according to the present invention, is stored in either a recording medium or a storage apparatus, for instance, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a floppy disk, a memory cartridge, a memory, and a hard disk. The computer program stored in either the recording medium or the storage apparatus is read out by a computer, so that the below-mentioned game apparatus may be realized. Also, the program according to the present invention, which has been stored into such a recording medium, may be readily distributed and/or marketed as a software product. This software program may be provided independently with respect to the game apparatus. Since the program according to the present invention is executed by using hardware such as a computer, the technique of the present invention may be readily realized by operating the hardware such as the computer.
A game apparatus, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, is featured by such a game apparatus for displaying motion of a first character in a virtual space, comprising: a unit for executing a game in accordance with a program; a memory for storing thereinto a portion of the program, or all portions of the program; and a display screen for displaying thereon a game executed by the unit.
In accordance with the program stored in the memory, the unit: determines motion in order that a predetermined portion of the first character is moved toward a predetermined portion of a standard mode model in response to an operation input made by a player, while the standard mode model is made in correspondence with a second character and the standard mode model is constituted by portions having a correspondence relationship with the respective portions of the second character; acquires a positional relationship between a preselected portion of the standard mode model, which is a target of the determined motion, and a portion of the second character corresponding to the preselected portion of the standard mode model; corrects the determined motion by employing the acquired positional relation; and also displays on a screen, the first character which is moved in accordance with the corrected motion.
It should be noted that while the determined motion is corrected, a position of a predetermined portion of the first character may be gradually corrected until a correction amount of the position of the predetermined portion of the first character becomes such an amount defined in response to the acquired positional relationship.
In a game apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a unit for executing a game in accordance with a program, determines motion in order that a predetermined portion of a first standard mode model is made in contact with a predetermined portion of a second standard mode model in response to an operation input made by a player, while the first standard mode model is defined in correspondence with the first character and also has the same attitude as that of the first character; and the second standard mode model is defined in correspondence with the character and also has the same attitude as that of a second character; acquires a relative positional relationship between the predetermined portion of the second standard mode model and a predetermined portion corresponding thereto in the second character; corrects the determined motion by using the acquired relative positional relationship; and also displays a scene where motion is carried out by causing the first character to execute the corrected motion in order that a preselected portion of the first character, which corresponds to the predetermined portion of the first standard mode model, is made in contact with a preselected portion of the second character, which corresponds to the predetermined portion of the second standard mode model.
A modification according to the second aspect of the present invention may be applied to the game apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention.
A professional wrestling game apparatus, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, is featured by such a game apparatus for controlling motion of wrestlers, comprising: a unit for executing a game in accordance with a program; a memory for storing thereinto a portion of the program, or all portions of the program; and a display screen for displaying thereon a game executed by the unit.
In response to the program stored in the memory, the unit: displays such a motion that a first wrestler grasps a predetermined portion of a second wrestler, while judging a shift amount between a reach point of a position of a hand owned by the first wrestler in the grasping motion and the predetermined portion of the second wrestler in response to data indicative of physique which is previously defined in correspondence with the second wrestler; corrects the position of the hand owned by the first wrestler in the grasping motion in response to the judged shift amount; and displays such a grasping operation that the first wrestler grasps the predetermined portion of the second wrestler based upon the corrected motion.